Dramma giocoso in two acts
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
First performed January 26th 1790, Burgtheater, Vienna

Sung in italian with german surtitles
Duration: c. 3 3/4 hrs. with one interval

About the piece

That Mozart’s operas – and Così fan tutte in particular – are still able to convey something disquietening, and yet not se ...

That Mozart’s operas – and Così fan tutte in particular – are still able to convey something disquietening, and yet not seem completely monstrous, more than 200 years after they were first performed is probably the secret of their immortality. The erotomaniac Don Giovanni, for example, will always be a sinister, undisputably disruptive character. The question thrown into the air in Così fan tutte - whether or not it is possible for a woman to remain faithful - has lost very little of its explosive nature. Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto is perfectly constructed but still it seems, somehow, that everything is teetering on the edge of a precipice. The fascination of the story is not in the outcome of Don Alfonso’s bet, but the steps, shaped with compassionate clarity by Mozart, that lead up to it. Christof Loy’s production gives this perfect story and the minutest psychological reactions between the characters equal weight, bringing to light some key moments that have been misinterpreted, up until now, in the work’s performance history: another chance to see this extraordinary production.

Synopsis

Ferrando and Guglielmo are convinced that their intended brides Dorabella and Fiordiligi are incapable of being unfaithful. Don Al ...

Ferrando and Guglielmo are convinced that their intended brides Dorabella and Fiordiligi are incapable of being unfaithful. Don Alfonso, who things otherwise, persuades them to enter a bet that he can prove the opposite is true within the space of 24 hours: the two young men shall take their leave from their lovers and go off to war, returning, in disguise, as two strangers to try and seduce them, helped by Despina, the young ladies' maid. What they thought impossible happens: after they at first indignantly react to all attempts at getting closer to them, Dorabella and Fiordiligi begin to flirt, forget their promises of faithfulness – and fall in love with one another's fiancés. Ferrando and Guglielmo's emotions are confused. When Alfonso marries off the two new couples and the masquerade is suddenly over, their confusion is complete, the future of the protagonists uncertain.